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European Parliament firmly rejects GMO ban proposal

Xinhua, October 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Members of European Parliament (MEPs), on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly against a draft law proposed by the European Commission (EC) intended to authorize any member state to restrict or ban the sale and utilization of food or feed containing GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).

"The European Commission's proposal on GMOs could turn on its head what has been achieved with the single market and the customs union," rapporteur Giovanni La Via told the press.

"Today's vote is a strong political act on the part of the European Parliament. It sends a clear signal to the European Commission," added the Italian official, who is also the president of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

The results of the vote were without much ambiguity. With 577 votes against, 75 in favor and 38 abstentions, the EU draft law that the EC presented on April 22 was decidedly rejected by the Parliament.

La Via said the Commission should have retracted the proposal as it knew it would not be accepted.

However, the EU Commissioner charged with health and food safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, said the Commission would not withdraw its proposal, which will next be debated by EU ministers.

"I believe that this proposal could have negative consequences for agriculture in the EU, which is heavily dependent on protein supplies from GMO sources. It could also have indirect negative effects on imports," La Via said.

The Commission suggested that the draft EU law in question would be conceived according to the model of another European law on GMOs targeting cultivation, which entered into force in April 2015, and permits member states to ban on their territory the cultivation of GMOs approved by the EU.

The Parliament considered that the transposition of such legislation in the domain of sales or use of GMOs was not desirable.

"Cultivation happens necessarily on the territory of a member state. GMO commerce crosses borders, which means that sale and use on the national level can prove difficult or impossible to apply," La Via said.

The use of GMOs, principally concerning corn, cotton, rapeseed and sugar beets, is at the heart of controversy in Europe where public opinion is strongly unfavorable.

A total of 58 GMOs are currently authorized in the EU, with the majority intended to feed livestock. The EU labeling system requires producers to indicate if their products, whether intended for human or animal consumption, contain GMOs when the content goes beyond 0.9 percent of the food item. Endit